Jehoshaphat – Part 8
The Recovery
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. (2 Chronicles 19:3)
And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers. (2 Chronicles 19:4)
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, (2 Chronicles 19:5)
And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. (2 Chronicles 19:6)
Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. (2 Chronicles 19:7)
And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers. (2 Chronicles 19:4)
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, (2 Chronicles 19:5)
And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. (2 Chronicles 19:6)
Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. (2 Chronicles 19:7)
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (Proverbs 4:18)
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:19)
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. (Proverbs 4:19)
We come to a point of humiliation and repentance in the life of Jehoshaphat. I can be judged of God, or I can be judged of man, but the true heart for God judges oneself. Let a man examine himself, for the center of his world is his own heart. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23) God loves to ponder the heart of a righteous man.
Purity of God’s Grace
God pondered the heart of Noah, and what was revealed, a preacher of righteousness. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;. (2 Peter 2:5) Noah was pure in his generations. What is this purity? God demands purity of soul and spirit, but as we know this can only come by the finished work of our Lord and Savior on the cross of Calvary. It is the purity of God’s Christ that gives the purity of God’s grace, no dross, no defilement, only the purity of the Omnipotent and Creator of all things. As a man, Noah was pure in his generations going all the way back to Seth. Seth was the seed who was given by God to replace Abel, his smitten brother. Out of the death of Abel came the movement of a righteous God in a new seed in Seth. From Seth the genealogy of Noah was pure. They (God’s seed) did not mingle or wed the daughters of Cain, or daughters of men. They were pure in this sense: These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)
The Seed
Let’s clarify humanity: you have all the children of Adam. In the children of Adam you have the children and descendants of Cain, then you have a divine line or crimson thread in the seed that God established to bring forth His Redeemer in the fullness of time from Seth who was now the appointed seed given of God. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Genesis 4:25) Who established the seed? It was God. In Genesis Chapter 3, verse 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. In this verse we have the establishment of the seed of the woman, and the seed of Satan. According to God they will be in continuous conflict. The seed of the woman will bear the scars of Satan’s attack, but Satan will not be able to remove the seed from God’s plan and purpose. God’s seed eventually will cast Satan into the burning fires of hell in final judgment for his wickedness on the earth and among the children of men. Satan uses his seed in opposition to all that is of God, and as we saw in Abel, he will not stop short of murder. So God establishes the conflict in the book of beginnings in Genesis 3:15. After the death of Abel there must have been jubilation in Satan’s camp; however, we have a supernatural God who works in supernatural ways, and out of death He is able to raise a new seed in Seth. God appointed Seth divinely as that seed, and it is from Seth that the true seed would emerge, Christ the anointed Son of God. Christ is the supernatural seed given by God the Father. This divine Being, the Son of God, was made in the likeness of man so that God might reconcile everything in Christ Jesus; whether it be grace or judgment. Christ came with the ministry of reconciliation to those who love Him it is grace unbounded; to those who follow after the work and folly of Satan, Christ is the God of judgment.
The Sons of God – The Seed of God
Seth begot Enos, and in the days of Enos men began to call on the name of the Lord. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26) At this time in the history of man the line of Seth began to be known as the sons of God because of their devotion and love for God. I will insert a verse from the New Testament at this point. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
Are you aware that as a believer you have been brought into a relationship as a son, and heir of God? This relationship is so close that you are joint heirs with Christ. Since the days of Seth the devil has been trying to cloud and destroy the knowledge and position of the sons of God. Men of reprobate minds have used all kinds of ridiculous teachings to overthrow the knowledge and position of the sons of God.
With Seth and Enos we have the continuation of the seed of God. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6) In the Book of Job we also see a continuation of the seed of God as the sons of God. This scene takes place when the sons of God being the seed and men in the line of Seth come before God on earth to worship Him. Satan comes in their midst to discredit them and God picks out one of his prized possessions, one of his sons, and said to Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8 ) Job like Seth, like Enos, like Enoch, like Methuselah, like Lamech, and like Noah feared God and eschewed evil.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, (Genesis 6:1) That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (Genesis 6:2)
The Seeds Mingling
We must remember that because of longevity of life there was an extensive history of man from Seth to Noah. Each one of Noah’s ancestors had many children and not all those children kept their generations pure. There came a day when the sons of God defiled themselves with the daughters of men or the line of Cain. This was the seed of Seth mingling with the seed of Cain who had been banished by God and was cast out from his brethren. Cain wed one of the daughters of Adam and Eve; and therefore, through time we see the daughters of men. It was God’s purpose to separate Cain from God’s seed Seth. Remember, Adam and Eve had other children who were not of the line of Seth. These also mingled with the seed of Cain; consequently, in the days of Noah the line of Cain had corrupted the sons of God. And only Noah was pure in his generations.
The Mark
Man at this point was continually evil, and everything that passed through his soul and heart was continually evil and continually against God, but God supernaturally kept a crimson thread, a seed that would bring forth a preacher of righteousness in Noah. In the judgment against Cain God put a mark upon him. This was his height and size for not only was Cain banished, but the sons of God were given full instruction not to mingle, nor to possess the daughters of men. One could have kept his distance from Cain by recognizing his height and size in contrast to other men. In Noah’s day, the line was so corrupted that one could not tell the daughters of men from the sons of God. Only God knew those who were His, and of course, they who loved the Lord knew within themselves that there were the true line and the true seed of the sons of God.
Murder – Compromise – Corruption
So what God had condemned, man mingled with until the whole earth was full of the abominations of Satan. And God had to judge all except Noah and his wife, and his three sons and their three wives. Man had taken the accursed thing, the daughters of man, and then giants were born unto them. This was the working of Satan, corrupting the godly line. Satan was hoping to rid the world of the promised seed. His first attempt was murder. In the very first chapters of Genesis we are shown how Satan worked to completely compromise the seed that God had given. One man, Noah, was perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God. We remember that Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him. This was God working in complete grace with one of His own. In Noah’s case, Noah found grace in the sight of God, and walked with God, and now was going to be a vessel of redemption. How? For the earth that then was — was engulfed by the deluge. All perished except eight souls. In these eight souls only one, Noah, was the instrument of God’s grace. The others were brought through the veil of the flood because of Noah, and not their own righteousness. This was a shadow of the One who would fulfill all righteousness, and remove the floods of death in His death upon the cross of Calvary. And call out of the earth a generation of the sons of God to dwell with Him throughout all eternity. This was, and is, and forever will be our blessed Lord, Jesus Christ.
Cain’s DNA Survives the Deluge & Giants in the Land
From Seth through the seventh from Adam (Enoch), through Methuselah, and through Lamech to Noah God was forming a crimson thread that would one day lead to Bethlehem of Judea, the birth place of the Son of God. We could go on in the line of the seed, but it will suffice to say that one of Noah’s sons was a betrayer of his father’s trust, and the ordinances of God. He was a usurper and wanted dominion over his two brothers, Shem and Japheth. This was Ham. He had taken to himself one of the daughters of Cain, and this caused the DNA of Cain to come through the flood. This also brought the giants into the land. They were the Zuzims in Ham. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (Genesis 14:5) They were also the Emims in Shaveh, we also need to look at Deuteronomy 2:20. That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;. Deuteronomy 2:20 confirms the presence of the giants in the land. We also have Deuteronomy 2:10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; This verse links the giants with the sons of Anak from which line came Goliath (the giant) who David slew with one smooth stone. In confirmation we have the following verses:
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33)
There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. (Joshua 11:22)
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (1 Samuel 17:4)
And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. (2 Samuel 21:19)
And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
Two Seed Compared
These verses when put into proper perspective confirm that there were giants in the land even unto the days of David. Isn’t it remarkable that David becoming the promised seed is the one used by God to bring down the giant of Gath or the seed of Cain. The comparative scriptures point back to Ham, for as I said before, it was Ham who brought the evil seed through the flood in marrying one of the daughters of Cain. We began this article dealing with the heart of Noah who was pure in his generations. God never described any of Noah’s sons as being pure in their generations, but because Noah found grace in God’s sight God allowed Noah to bring his whole family through the flood. Why should we, therefore, bring Noah and Jehoshaphat together? It is to compare their two sons: Ham and Jehoram. Ham had married the evil seed, or seed of Satan which was the seed of Cain. This is exactly how the giants came through the flood, and they were also known as mighty men of renown. Because of the longevity of life they had become so corrupted in the days of Noah that the generations of the sons of God and the daughters of men had become polluted with the evil seed. I believe that in that age one could not tell the evil seed apart from those who professed to be God’s seed. The DNA of all men except Noah had become so perverted with the line of Cain that all was corrupt; so that the thoughts and actions of man were continually evil.
The Corrupted Seed – Jehoram
Jehoshaphat’s son (Jehoram) married Athaliah (the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel) corrupting the line of David so that the evil seed of Ahab who was the seed of Satan (remember Ahab sold himself to do evil) later took control over Judah and Jerusalem. (Note: Athaliah’s brother was also named Jehoram who became king over Israel when his brother Ahaziah died *). Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, had given himself over to Satan. In Jehoram we would see through his marriage the mingling of the seed of David with the evil seed of Ahab, or the line of David from which the Redeemer was to come. Through Jehoram would come the corrupt seed in Ahaziah, his son; consequently, Jehovah destroyed all of Jehoram’s seed, and chose another from the line of David.
Four Kings of Judah Who Walked in the Ways of David
In the history of Israel the Holy Ghost shows us the continuation of that crimson thread of the divine will and choosing of God. There are only a few kings of all of Judah who walked in the ways of David. There were absolutely no kings of Israel (the ten northern tribes) who even sought to know the God of heaven, and the Creator of all things. Jeroboam (the first king of Israel) had planted the evil seed in the beginning of his reign over the ten tribes by placing the gods of Egypt (golden calves) at Dan and in Bethel. This led to the Holy Spirit giving this testimony many times throughout the history of Israel that it was this Jeroboam that caused Israel to sin. And the future kings of Israel including Ahab and his descendants added to the evil which consumed the ten tribes even to their captivity. Now these are the kings of Judah who walked in the ways of David: Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem: (1 Kings 15:4) Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (1 Kings 15:5) This would give David a lamp or seed to sit upon the throne of Judah in Jerusalem.
Purity of God’s Grace
God pondered the heart of Noah, and what was revealed, a preacher of righteousness. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;. (2 Peter 2:5) Noah was pure in his generations. What is this purity? God demands purity of soul and spirit, but as we know this can only come by the finished work of our Lord and Savior on the cross of Calvary. It is the purity of God’s Christ that gives the purity of God’s grace, no dross, no defilement, only the purity of the Omnipotent and Creator of all things. As a man, Noah was pure in his generations going all the way back to Seth. Seth was the seed who was given by God to replace Abel, his smitten brother. Out of the death of Abel came the movement of a righteous God in a new seed in Seth. From Seth the genealogy of Noah was pure. They (God’s seed) did not mingle or wed the daughters of Cain, or daughters of men. They were pure in this sense: These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)
The Seed
Let’s clarify humanity: you have all the children of Adam. In the children of Adam you have the children and descendants of Cain, then you have a divine line or crimson thread in the seed that God established to bring forth His Redeemer in the fullness of time from Seth who was now the appointed seed given of God. And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. (Genesis 4:25) Who established the seed? It was God. In Genesis Chapter 3, verse 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. In this verse we have the establishment of the seed of the woman, and the seed of Satan. According to God they will be in continuous conflict. The seed of the woman will bear the scars of Satan’s attack, but Satan will not be able to remove the seed from God’s plan and purpose. God’s seed eventually will cast Satan into the burning fires of hell in final judgment for his wickedness on the earth and among the children of men. Satan uses his seed in opposition to all that is of God, and as we saw in Abel, he will not stop short of murder. So God establishes the conflict in the book of beginnings in Genesis 3:15. After the death of Abel there must have been jubilation in Satan’s camp; however, we have a supernatural God who works in supernatural ways, and out of death He is able to raise a new seed in Seth. God appointed Seth divinely as that seed, and it is from Seth that the true seed would emerge, Christ the anointed Son of God. Christ is the supernatural seed given by God the Father. This divine Being, the Son of God, was made in the likeness of man so that God might reconcile everything in Christ Jesus; whether it be grace or judgment. Christ came with the ministry of reconciliation to those who love Him it is grace unbounded; to those who follow after the work and folly of Satan, Christ is the God of judgment.
The Sons of God – The Seed of God
Seth begot Enos, and in the days of Enos men began to call on the name of the Lord. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26) At this time in the history of man the line of Seth began to be known as the sons of God because of their devotion and love for God. I will insert a verse from the New Testament at this point. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
Are you aware that as a believer you have been brought into a relationship as a son, and heir of God? This relationship is so close that you are joint heirs with Christ. Since the days of Seth the devil has been trying to cloud and destroy the knowledge and position of the sons of God. Men of reprobate minds have used all kinds of ridiculous teachings to overthrow the knowledge and position of the sons of God.
With Seth and Enos we have the continuation of the seed of God. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6) In the Book of Job we also see a continuation of the seed of God as the sons of God. This scene takes place when the sons of God being the seed and men in the line of Seth come before God on earth to worship Him. Satan comes in their midst to discredit them and God picks out one of his prized possessions, one of his sons, and said to Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8 ) Job like Seth, like Enos, like Enoch, like Methuselah, like Lamech, and like Noah feared God and eschewed evil.
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, (Genesis 6:1) That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (Genesis 6:2)
The Seeds Mingling
We must remember that because of longevity of life there was an extensive history of man from Seth to Noah. Each one of Noah’s ancestors had many children and not all those children kept their generations pure. There came a day when the sons of God defiled themselves with the daughters of men or the line of Cain. This was the seed of Seth mingling with the seed of Cain who had been banished by God and was cast out from his brethren. Cain wed one of the daughters of Adam and Eve; and therefore, through time we see the daughters of men. It was God’s purpose to separate Cain from God’s seed Seth. Remember, Adam and Eve had other children who were not of the line of Seth. These also mingled with the seed of Cain; consequently, in the days of Noah the line of Cain had corrupted the sons of God. And only Noah was pure in his generations.
The Mark
Man at this point was continually evil, and everything that passed through his soul and heart was continually evil and continually against God, but God supernaturally kept a crimson thread, a seed that would bring forth a preacher of righteousness in Noah. In the judgment against Cain God put a mark upon him. This was his height and size for not only was Cain banished, but the sons of God were given full instruction not to mingle, nor to possess the daughters of men. One could have kept his distance from Cain by recognizing his height and size in contrast to other men. In Noah’s day, the line was so corrupted that one could not tell the daughters of men from the sons of God. Only God knew those who were His, and of course, they who loved the Lord knew within themselves that there were the true line and the true seed of the sons of God.
Murder – Compromise – Corruption
So what God had condemned, man mingled with until the whole earth was full of the abominations of Satan. And God had to judge all except Noah and his wife, and his three sons and their three wives. Man had taken the accursed thing, the daughters of man, and then giants were born unto them. This was the working of Satan, corrupting the godly line. Satan was hoping to rid the world of the promised seed. His first attempt was murder. In the very first chapters of Genesis we are shown how Satan worked to completely compromise the seed that God had given. One man, Noah, was perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God. We remember that Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him. This was God working in complete grace with one of His own. In Noah’s case, Noah found grace in the sight of God, and walked with God, and now was going to be a vessel of redemption. How? For the earth that then was — was engulfed by the deluge. All perished except eight souls. In these eight souls only one, Noah, was the instrument of God’s grace. The others were brought through the veil of the flood because of Noah, and not their own righteousness. This was a shadow of the One who would fulfill all righteousness, and remove the floods of death in His death upon the cross of Calvary. And call out of the earth a generation of the sons of God to dwell with Him throughout all eternity. This was, and is, and forever will be our blessed Lord, Jesus Christ.
Cain’s DNA Survives the Deluge & Giants in the Land
From Seth through the seventh from Adam (Enoch), through Methuselah, and through Lamech to Noah God was forming a crimson thread that would one day lead to Bethlehem of Judea, the birth place of the Son of God. We could go on in the line of the seed, but it will suffice to say that one of Noah’s sons was a betrayer of his father’s trust, and the ordinances of God. He was a usurper and wanted dominion over his two brothers, Shem and Japheth. This was Ham. He had taken to himself one of the daughters of Cain, and this caused the DNA of Cain to come through the flood. This also brought the giants into the land. They were the Zuzims in Ham. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (Genesis 14:5) They were also the Emims in Shaveh, we also need to look at Deuteronomy 2:20. That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;. Deuteronomy 2:20 confirms the presence of the giants in the land. We also have Deuteronomy 2:10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; This verse links the giants with the sons of Anak from which line came Goliath (the giant) who David slew with one smooth stone. In confirmation we have the following verses:
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33)
There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. (Joshua 11:22)
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (1 Samuel 17:4)
And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. (2 Samuel 21:19)
And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. (1 Chronicles 20:5)
Two Seed Compared
These verses when put into proper perspective confirm that there were giants in the land even unto the days of David. Isn’t it remarkable that David becoming the promised seed is the one used by God to bring down the giant of Gath or the seed of Cain. The comparative scriptures point back to Ham, for as I said before, it was Ham who brought the evil seed through the flood in marrying one of the daughters of Cain. We began this article dealing with the heart of Noah who was pure in his generations. God never described any of Noah’s sons as being pure in their generations, but because Noah found grace in God’s sight God allowed Noah to bring his whole family through the flood. Why should we, therefore, bring Noah and Jehoshaphat together? It is to compare their two sons: Ham and Jehoram. Ham had married the evil seed, or seed of Satan which was the seed of Cain. This is exactly how the giants came through the flood, and they were also known as mighty men of renown. Because of the longevity of life they had become so corrupted in the days of Noah that the generations of the sons of God and the daughters of men had become polluted with the evil seed. I believe that in that age one could not tell the evil seed apart from those who professed to be God’s seed. The DNA of all men except Noah had become so perverted with the line of Cain that all was corrupt; so that the thoughts and actions of man were continually evil.
The Corrupted Seed – Jehoram
Jehoshaphat’s son (Jehoram) married Athaliah (the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel) corrupting the line of David so that the evil seed of Ahab who was the seed of Satan (remember Ahab sold himself to do evil) later took control over Judah and Jerusalem. (Note: Athaliah’s brother was also named Jehoram who became king over Israel when his brother Ahaziah died *). Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, had given himself over to Satan. In Jehoram we would see through his marriage the mingling of the seed of David with the evil seed of Ahab, or the line of David from which the Redeemer was to come. Through Jehoram would come the corrupt seed in Ahaziah, his son; consequently, Jehovah destroyed all of Jehoram’s seed, and chose another from the line of David.
Four Kings of Judah Who Walked in the Ways of David
In the history of Israel the Holy Ghost shows us the continuation of that crimson thread of the divine will and choosing of God. There are only a few kings of all of Judah who walked in the ways of David. There were absolutely no kings of Israel (the ten northern tribes) who even sought to know the God of heaven, and the Creator of all things. Jeroboam (the first king of Israel) had planted the evil seed in the beginning of his reign over the ten tribes by placing the gods of Egypt (golden calves) at Dan and in Bethel. This led to the Holy Spirit giving this testimony many times throughout the history of Israel that it was this Jeroboam that caused Israel to sin. And the future kings of Israel including Ahab and his descendants added to the evil which consumed the ten tribes even to their captivity. Now these are the kings of Judah who walked in the ways of David: Nevertheless for David’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem: (1 Kings 15:4) Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (1 Kings 15:5) This would give David a lamp or seed to sit upon the throne of Judah in Jerusalem.
There were four (4) kings who walked in the ways of David
The first king was Asa. And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. (1 Kings 15:11)
The second king was Jehoshaphat And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;(1 Chronicles 17:3)
The third king was Hezekiah.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. (2 Kings 18:3)
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. (2 Chronicles 29:1)
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. (2 Chronicles 29:2)
The fourth king was Josiah.
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. (2 Chronicles 34:1)
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. (2 Chronicles 34:1)
The second king was Jehoshaphat And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;(1 Chronicles 17:3)
The third king was Hezekiah.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. (2 Kings 18:3)
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. (2 Chronicles 29:1)
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. (2 Chronicles 29:2)
The fourth king was Josiah.
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. (2 Chronicles 34:1)
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. (2 Chronicles 34:1)
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. (2 Chronicles 34:3)
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. (2 Kings 22:1)
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. (2 Kings 22:2)
Each one of these kings was brought out in the will of God by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God revealing to us the continuation of that crimson thread, or the seed of David. Each one of these kings had their victory over sin, but they also suffered defeat because of sin, but God preserved each one to show us different workings in His divine purpose. There were other kings who sought not after God and they walked not in the ways of David. There were kings who had marginal dealings with Jehovah. One was Joash, who followed the Lord all the days of Jehoiada, the high priest, but when Jehoiada died Joash went under the influence of the evil princes of Judah.
The Ups and Downs
In our study of Jehoshaphat he sought the Lord in the first ways of David. And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; (2 Chronicles 17:3) While Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of David Jehovah prospered him and his throne, but then complacency set in; therefore, he allowed his son Jehoram to wed Athaliah. From this point the spiritual fortitude of Jehoshaphat started to go down . . . down . . . down, and each time it ended with an alliance with the house of Ahab. When Jehoshaphat was before the seer after Ramothgilead, Jehovah required of him a spirit of repentance. Jehoshaphat in the spirit returned to his first works. He sought the Lord and the Lord’s will. We are reminded of seeking the Lord in Isaiah 55:6 and 7.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Jehoshaphat’s repentance led to action, he began again in Jerusalem and Judah to bring the people of God back to a relationship with the Almighty. From Judah to Ephraim it is recorded that he began at Beersheba to mount Ephraim. The Holy Spirit by using these two locations is giving us a window into the condition of the soul of Jehoshaphat. He began at Beersheba which was the low land. This territory also had portions of desert. He began with the state of his soul, but through seeking the Lord he ascends to mount Ephraim. It is always better to be aware of one’s condition and to look at that condition from God’s side on high. The Holy Spirit shows us some recovery of the king. He must have examined his life before Jehovah. We, in the day of God’s grace and the movement of the Holy Spirit through the Church, must continually examine our own lives. That we are not only in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, but following in His ways and in His footsteps. Some of us like Jehoshaphat have experienced times of departure; both our soul and spirit have been grieved because of our sin. Some have recovered to different levels, could Jehoshaphat truly return to his first works and walk in the ways of David? Jehoshaphat still clung to his son. He still allowed his son (Jehoram) to be heir apparent. Was Jehoshaphat totally blind to this sin, or was it simply willful disobedience of his own heart before Jehovah? In Isaiah 55, the message is to a perverted people to seek the Lord; they would have to give up their ways, and their perverted thoughts, and only then would the Lord pardon them. Did Jehoshaphat give up his son? No he did not. Could Jehoshaphat with an open and sincere heart repeat to Jehovah the first commandment?
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. (2 Kings 22:1)
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. (2 Kings 22:2)
Each one of these kings was brought out in the will of God by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God revealing to us the continuation of that crimson thread, or the seed of David. Each one of these kings had their victory over sin, but they also suffered defeat because of sin, but God preserved each one to show us different workings in His divine purpose. There were other kings who sought not after God and they walked not in the ways of David. There were kings who had marginal dealings with Jehovah. One was Joash, who followed the Lord all the days of Jehoiada, the high priest, but when Jehoiada died Joash went under the influence of the evil princes of Judah.
The Ups and Downs
In our study of Jehoshaphat he sought the Lord in the first ways of David. And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; (2 Chronicles 17:3) While Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of David Jehovah prospered him and his throne, but then complacency set in; therefore, he allowed his son Jehoram to wed Athaliah. From this point the spiritual fortitude of Jehoshaphat started to go down . . . down . . . down, and each time it ended with an alliance with the house of Ahab. When Jehoshaphat was before the seer after Ramothgilead, Jehovah required of him a spirit of repentance. Jehoshaphat in the spirit returned to his first works. He sought the Lord and the Lord’s will. We are reminded of seeking the Lord in Isaiah 55:6 and 7.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Jehoshaphat’s repentance led to action, he began again in Jerusalem and Judah to bring the people of God back to a relationship with the Almighty. From Judah to Ephraim it is recorded that he began at Beersheba to mount Ephraim. The Holy Spirit by using these two locations is giving us a window into the condition of the soul of Jehoshaphat. He began at Beersheba which was the low land. This territory also had portions of desert. He began with the state of his soul, but through seeking the Lord he ascends to mount Ephraim. It is always better to be aware of one’s condition and to look at that condition from God’s side on high. The Holy Spirit shows us some recovery of the king. He must have examined his life before Jehovah. We, in the day of God’s grace and the movement of the Holy Spirit through the Church, must continually examine our own lives. That we are not only in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, but following in His ways and in His footsteps. Some of us like Jehoshaphat have experienced times of departure; both our soul and spirit have been grieved because of our sin. Some have recovered to different levels, could Jehoshaphat truly return to his first works and walk in the ways of David? Jehoshaphat still clung to his son. He still allowed his son (Jehoram) to be heir apparent. Was Jehoshaphat totally blind to this sin, or was it simply willful disobedience of his own heart before Jehovah? In Isaiah 55, the message is to a perverted people to seek the Lord; they would have to give up their ways, and their perverted thoughts, and only then would the Lord pardon them. Did Jehoshaphat give up his son? No he did not. Could Jehoshaphat with an open and sincere heart repeat to Jehovah the first commandment?
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (Deuteronomy 6:4)
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (Deuteronomy 6:6)
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (Deuteronomy 10:12)
The Influence of One Family Member
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (Deuteronomy 6:6)
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (Deuteronomy 10:12)
The Influence of One Family Member
Could Jehoshaphat abide by this commandment of the Lord that was given to all Israel, rich or poor, king or serf, all were given the words of Deuteronomy 10:12.
His son that he loved had betrayed Jehovah and his father Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat had become blind to this sin. His son became a thorn to his kingdom. Jehoshaphat was not the only king who suffered from family ties, and an evil son. We need only think of Absalom, David’s son, and how he usurped the kingdom from his father. God had to wrestle the kingdom away from Absalom and give it back to David in a divine action of a Sovereign God. We can consider Asa, Jehoshaphat’s father, his grandmother had an idol. He had to take away her authority as queen-mother, but he fell short of the covenant that the people and the king had made with Jehovah; that whether small or great, no matter who in the kingdom, that if they worshiped an idol they would be put to death.
So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. (2 Chronicles 15:10)
And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. (2 Chronicles 16:11)
And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; (2 Chronicles 15:12)
That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:13)
And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. (2 Chronicles 15:14)
And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. (2 Chronicles 15:15)
And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 15:16)
Asa could not follow his own convictions. The people and the king had made a covenant with the Lord, but when it came to granny he could not follow the covenant that they had made. For granny was the daughter of Absalom, the rebellious son of David. How sin and rebellion travels through families and history. A side note about Maachah, she was a daughter of a king, Absalom; she was the granddaughter of a king, David; she was the niece of a king, Solomon; she was the wife of a king, Rehoboam.
And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. (2 Chronicles 11:20)
And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.) (2 Chronicles 11:21)
Maachah also was the mother of a king, Abijam.Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. (1 Kings 15:1)
Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. (1 Kings 15:1)
And she was also the grandmother of a king, Asa.
And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. (1 Kings 15:10)
And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. (1 Kings 15:11)
And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. (1 Kings 15:12)
And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. (1 Kings 15:13)
Think of the influence that the daughter of Absalom had over the kingdom of Judah all those years. Even though in the end she had the title of queen-mother, she had no power over the throne, but had quite an influence in the life of Asa for he refused to follow the covenant that the people and the king had made with Jehovah.
The Damage Done – The Devil’s Backbone
In the recovery of Jehoshaphat we see that he made an effort to seek the Lord. He established judges throughout the land, and turned the hearts of the people back to Jehovah; however, Jehoram his son and his wicked wife were stalking the kingdom and placing the evil seed of Baal around Jerusalem and Judah. Jehoram was already in the midst of his plot and his plan to kill of his brethren; yet, Jehoshaphat remained blind to the evil heart of his son. His son was a threat to the kingdom that Jehovah had entrusted to Jehoshaphat. In his condition of soul, would Judah experience a complete recovery? No. Would it be a complete recovery for Jehoshaphat? No. The damage of Jehoshaphat’s sin was too extensive for he would not give up his ungodly son. And the evil alliances he made with the house of Ahab continued through the sons of Ahab; Ahaziah, and Jehoram. Just before Jehoshaphat’s death the Holy Spirit gives us a summary of Jehoshaphat’s works recorded in 2 Chronicles 21:1. The Holy Spirit of God takes the occurrence of his alliance with Ahaziah (king of Israel) out of sequence and draws us back in time (like a flashback) to show us that Jehoshaphat’s works were broken in Eziongeber (the devil’s backbone).
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. (2 Chronicles 20:34)
And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: (2 Chronicles 20:35)
And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. (2 Chronicles 20:36)
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. (2 Chronicles 20:37)
The events that occurred at Eziongeber was the summary of Jehoshaphat’s works it can be viewed as the epitaph of his worldly focus and energies. They were broken at the devil’s backbone because of his love for his son, Jehoram.
The Connection to the Church
Let’s move now through time to the days of Paul. He wrote a letter to the Galatians, he asked the question, Who has bewitched you?
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (Galatians 3:1)
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:2)
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1)
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (Galatians 1:6)
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:7)
Paul is aware of their departure from Christ and from the gospel of God’s dear Son to another gospel of law and Jewish privilege and tradition. This sin of the Galatians led Paul to say Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (Galatians 5:7) and again in Galatians 4:11 he expressed his deep concern I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Another Gospel Compromises and Corrupts the Church
This false gospel continues today in many forms. Even the designation of our faith as Judeo-Christianity encompasses the laws of the Jews. Christ came for both Jew and Gentile. The gospel is to create a new people who love the Lord. They are spiritually changed and are a divine people not of the earth. The traits of Judeo-Christianity are a people still tied to the world; this also brings in laws and spiritual chains put on the professing church by men of reprobate minds perverting the truth of Christ. We have the outcome of this perversion through the Holy Spirit’s history of the Church in Revelation, Chapter 2 and 3. Through the Spirit of Christ we are made aware of all the pitfalls and failings of the Church. We are to see the complete ruin of the Church in the worldly sense, and in their spiritual poverty as it first began in the church at Ephesus. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:5) These words are from the Lord Jesus, and it is He who desired the church at Ephesus to repent and do the first works. This message was not embraced by the Ephesians; therefore, the Lord removed their lamp stand, and He removed His Spirit from the church at Ephesus. Look at the land of Galatia, and the territory of the Ephesians today; it is a spiritual graveyard, and a barren desert of spiritual thought. Like Jehoshaphat their works were broken and they suffered loss.
If we go to the first works of Jehoshaphat we see a man of promise, a man seeking God, a man doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord, but then he made his alliance with Ahab. And the beginning of his broken works began in Ramothgilead, but Jehovah gave him space to repent, and he did repent and began his first works again. The first thing that he had to do was to bring the people of Judah back to Jehovah. They must have heard about his decree to Ahab when he said that I am as thou [art], my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. This promoted a downward slide of the entire kingdom of Jehoshaphat. It was he who declared that he was no better than Ahab, and that his people were no better than Ahab’s people. Jehoshaphat was not the first to verbally express the false mantra of the globalist. (Genesis 11:1-9) You wonder if this godly king heard his own words repeated to him many times by the Spirit of God. In the end Jehoshaphat’s works were broken on the great rock at Eziongeber. But Jehovah, for now, was giving Jehoshaphat another chance, He was giving the people of Judah another chance. We must realize that both Jehoshaphat and his people were under the law of God. This should show us the extent and the mercy that God poured out to both Judah and Jehoshaphat. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; (Hebrews 2:2) — under the law. Under the law every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. The judgments of God were final, and are final; yet with Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah we see the exercise of Jehovah’s mercy upon them. Even though Jehoshaphat was spared and mercy was poured out Jehovah enacted the just recompense of reward through the life of Jehoram and Athaliah. Jehoshaphat’s prosperity would suffer and be judged of Jehovah. Although Jehoshaphat could not judge his son — Jehovah did — and poured out judgment upon Jehoram. He gave him great disease in his bowels till they fell out by reason of the disease.
The love of family can be a great weapon of the adversary against our soul.
So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. (2 Chronicles 15:10)
And they offered unto the LORD the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. (2 Chronicles 16:11)
And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; (2 Chronicles 15:12)
That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:13)
And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. (2 Chronicles 15:14)
And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. (2 Chronicles 15:15)
And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 15:16)
Asa could not follow his own convictions. The people and the king had made a covenant with the Lord, but when it came to granny he could not follow the covenant that they had made. For granny was the daughter of Absalom, the rebellious son of David. How sin and rebellion travels through families and history. A side note about Maachah, she was a daughter of a king, Absalom; she was the granddaughter of a king, David; she was the niece of a king, Solomon; she was the wife of a king, Rehoboam.
And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith. (2 Chronicles 11:20)
And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.) (2 Chronicles 11:21)
Maachah also was the mother of a king, Abijam.Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. (1 Kings 15:1)
Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. (1 Kings 15:1)
And she was also the grandmother of a king, Asa.
And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. (1 Kings 15:10)
And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. (1 Kings 15:11)
And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. (1 Kings 15:12)
And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. (1 Kings 15:13)
Think of the influence that the daughter of Absalom had over the kingdom of Judah all those years. Even though in the end she had the title of queen-mother, she had no power over the throne, but had quite an influence in the life of Asa for he refused to follow the covenant that the people and the king had made with Jehovah.
The Damage Done – The Devil’s Backbone
In the recovery of Jehoshaphat we see that he made an effort to seek the Lord. He established judges throughout the land, and turned the hearts of the people back to Jehovah; however, Jehoram his son and his wicked wife were stalking the kingdom and placing the evil seed of Baal around Jerusalem and Judah. Jehoram was already in the midst of his plot and his plan to kill of his brethren; yet, Jehoshaphat remained blind to the evil heart of his son. His son was a threat to the kingdom that Jehovah had entrusted to Jehoshaphat. In his condition of soul, would Judah experience a complete recovery? No. Would it be a complete recovery for Jehoshaphat? No. The damage of Jehoshaphat’s sin was too extensive for he would not give up his ungodly son. And the evil alliances he made with the house of Ahab continued through the sons of Ahab; Ahaziah, and Jehoram. Just before Jehoshaphat’s death the Holy Spirit gives us a summary of Jehoshaphat’s works recorded in 2 Chronicles 21:1. The Holy Spirit of God takes the occurrence of his alliance with Ahaziah (king of Israel) out of sequence and draws us back in time (like a flashback) to show us that Jehoshaphat’s works were broken in Eziongeber (the devil’s backbone).
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel. (2 Chronicles 20:34)
And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly: (2 Chronicles 20:35)
And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongeber. (2 Chronicles 20:36)
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. (2 Chronicles 20:37)
The events that occurred at Eziongeber was the summary of Jehoshaphat’s works it can be viewed as the epitaph of his worldly focus and energies. They were broken at the devil’s backbone because of his love for his son, Jehoram.
The Connection to the Church
Let’s move now through time to the days of Paul. He wrote a letter to the Galatians, he asked the question, Who has bewitched you?
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (Galatians 3:1)
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:2)
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1)
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (Galatians 1:6)
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:7)
Paul is aware of their departure from Christ and from the gospel of God’s dear Son to another gospel of law and Jewish privilege and tradition. This sin of the Galatians led Paul to say Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (Galatians 5:7) and again in Galatians 4:11 he expressed his deep concern I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Another Gospel Compromises and Corrupts the Church
This false gospel continues today in many forms. Even the designation of our faith as Judeo-Christianity encompasses the laws of the Jews. Christ came for both Jew and Gentile. The gospel is to create a new people who love the Lord. They are spiritually changed and are a divine people not of the earth. The traits of Judeo-Christianity are a people still tied to the world; this also brings in laws and spiritual chains put on the professing church by men of reprobate minds perverting the truth of Christ. We have the outcome of this perversion through the Holy Spirit’s history of the Church in Revelation, Chapter 2 and 3. Through the Spirit of Christ we are made aware of all the pitfalls and failings of the Church. We are to see the complete ruin of the Church in the worldly sense, and in their spiritual poverty as it first began in the church at Ephesus. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:5) These words are from the Lord Jesus, and it is He who desired the church at Ephesus to repent and do the first works. This message was not embraced by the Ephesians; therefore, the Lord removed their lamp stand, and He removed His Spirit from the church at Ephesus. Look at the land of Galatia, and the territory of the Ephesians today; it is a spiritual graveyard, and a barren desert of spiritual thought. Like Jehoshaphat their works were broken and they suffered loss.
If we go to the first works of Jehoshaphat we see a man of promise, a man seeking God, a man doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord, but then he made his alliance with Ahab. And the beginning of his broken works began in Ramothgilead, but Jehovah gave him space to repent, and he did repent and began his first works again. The first thing that he had to do was to bring the people of Judah back to Jehovah. They must have heard about his decree to Ahab when he said that I am as thou [art], my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. This promoted a downward slide of the entire kingdom of Jehoshaphat. It was he who declared that he was no better than Ahab, and that his people were no better than Ahab’s people. Jehoshaphat was not the first to verbally express the false mantra of the globalist. (Genesis 11:1-9) You wonder if this godly king heard his own words repeated to him many times by the Spirit of God. In the end Jehoshaphat’s works were broken on the great rock at Eziongeber. But Jehovah, for now, was giving Jehoshaphat another chance, He was giving the people of Judah another chance. We must realize that both Jehoshaphat and his people were under the law of God. This should show us the extent and the mercy that God poured out to both Judah and Jehoshaphat. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; (Hebrews 2:2) — under the law. Under the law every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. The judgments of God were final, and are final; yet with Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah we see the exercise of Jehovah’s mercy upon them. Even though Jehoshaphat was spared and mercy was poured out Jehovah enacted the just recompense of reward through the life of Jehoram and Athaliah. Jehoshaphat’s prosperity would suffer and be judged of Jehovah. Although Jehoshaphat could not judge his son — Jehovah did — and poured out judgment upon Jehoram. He gave him great disease in his bowels till they fell out by reason of the disease.
And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, (2 Chronicles 21:12)
But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself: (2 Chronicles 21:13)
Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: (2 Chronicles 21:14)
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day. (2 Chronicles 21:15)
And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. (2 Chronicles 21:19)
But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself: (2 Chronicles 21:13)
Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: (2 Chronicles 21:14)
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day. (2 Chronicles 21:15)
And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. (2 Chronicles 21:19)
Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. (Proverbs 16:5)
Jehoram received the just recompense of reward, and this is the reward of an evil heart in opposition to God. It took awhile for God was long suffering, but in the end Jehovah collected His price for the sin of Jehoram, and for Jehoshaphat’s sin; after all Jehoshaphat was king, his throne was by divine appointment of Jehovah; therefore, Jehoshaphat was accountable to God, and Jehoshaphat’s family was accountable to the king, and the people were accountable to the king. Jehoshaphat, nevertheless, turned his back on Jehovah through his reign in his dealings with the house of Omri or Ahab.
The Two National Alliances
His first national alliance was with Ahab. He did this in two ways: one, he joined the future throne of Judah to the throne of Ahab through the marriage of his son to Athaliah; secondly, he formed a military alliance of his own national power to Ahab and his people.
The Commercial Alliance
He also formed an alliance with Ahaziah, Ahab’s son. This was a commercial venture and a venture of commerce in sending ships to Tarshish. This venture like his military venture to Ramothgilead also failed for the ships were broken and could not sail. We also have a failed alliance with Ahab’s second son, Jehoram, and we will discuss that in our next post. This venture would have failed miserably, but Jehovah stepped in and once again divinely delivered Jehoshaphat. In all three alliances Jehoshaphat made sure that we understood his heart; for each time he declared that frightful statements, I am as thou [art], my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. This is the history of Jehoshaphat, it is sad in many ways; yet, we can see Jehovah’s hand working gently behind the scenes attempting to recover this king and establish his throne. This first recovery that we have been looking at was grand in many ways; for Jehoshaphat brought his people back to Jehovah. He established law and order in his kingdom. This must have been a problem for he appointed judges throughout all Judah. Once again, he established the Levites as those who kept the word of God. And even though it is hard to understand all the turnings to the left and to the right of Jehoshaphat; Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, as we read in 2 Chronicles 19:3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. Amen
The Two National Alliances
His first national alliance was with Ahab. He did this in two ways: one, he joined the future throne of Judah to the throne of Ahab through the marriage of his son to Athaliah; secondly, he formed a military alliance of his own national power to Ahab and his people.
The Commercial Alliance
He also formed an alliance with Ahaziah, Ahab’s son. This was a commercial venture and a venture of commerce in sending ships to Tarshish. This venture like his military venture to Ramothgilead also failed for the ships were broken and could not sail. We also have a failed alliance with Ahab’s second son, Jehoram, and we will discuss that in our next post. This venture would have failed miserably, but Jehovah stepped in and once again divinely delivered Jehoshaphat. In all three alliances Jehoshaphat made sure that we understood his heart; for each time he declared that frightful statements, I am as thou [art], my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. This is the history of Jehoshaphat, it is sad in many ways; yet, we can see Jehovah’s hand working gently behind the scenes attempting to recover this king and establish his throne. This first recovery that we have been looking at was grand in many ways; for Jehoshaphat brought his people back to Jehovah. He established law and order in his kingdom. This must have been a problem for he appointed judges throughout all Judah. Once again, he established the Levites as those who kept the word of God. And even though it is hard to understand all the turnings to the left and to the right of Jehoshaphat; Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, as we read in 2 Chronicles 19:3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. Amen
To be continued in our next article, The Valley of Blood.
* See the Chart of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
© Copyright 2016, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)
* See the Chart of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
© Copyright 2016, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)